Stringed musical instrument.



Patented Aug. I5, |899.

F. STROH.

STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

(Application led Mar. 23, 1899.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDRICK STROII, 4OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 631,188, dated August15, 1899.

Appncanon fue@ March ze, 1899.

To all whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, FREDRICK STROH, asubject of the Emperor of Germany,at present residing in the city of New York, borough of Bronx, in thecounty and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved StringedMusical Instrument, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved stringedmusical instrument combining a eithern, mandolin, and violin andarranged to permit a single performer` to play any one of theinstruments referred to or to allow two performers to play at the sametime, one playing either the cithern or the mandolin and the other theviolin, to execute duets or solos. In the latter case the music of oneinstrument forms the accompaniment for the music of the other.

The invention consists of novel features and parts and combinations ofthe same, as will be fully described hereinafter and then pointed out inthe claims.

A practical embodiment of my invention is represented in theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in whichsimilar characters of reference indicate cor-- responding parts in allthe views.

Figure l is a plan View of the improvement. Fig. 2 is a side elevationof the same, and Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the same on the line3 3 in Fig. 2.

The improved stringed musical instrument is provided with a body A, madeapproximately in the shape of an ordinary cithern, the body having asounding-board B, provided with the usual sound-hole B. On the top ofthe sounding-board B and at the front of the body is arranged afinger-board C, and a similar finger-board D is arranged on the oppositeside with sets of strings E and F extending over said finger-boards, aset of accompaniment-strings G being located between the two sets ofstrings E and F and extending over the sounding-board only. The sets ofstrings E pass over bridges II ll', and one end of each string'issecured to a fixed peg I, the other end being mounted on a tuningpin I',mounted to turn in the body of the instrument. The strings G, which arethe accompaniment-strings for the cithern, likewise extend at one endover the bridge Il to be se- Serial No. 710,200. (No model.)

cured to pegs I2 similar to the pegs I and located at the same end ofthe body A. The other ends of the strings G after passing over thebridge H2 wind on tuning-pins I3, likewise mounted to turn in the body Aof the instrument.

The strings F for the violin pass over bridges H3 H4 and. are secured atone end to fixed pegs ll and at the other end to tuning-pins I5, whichlatter, however, are disposed on the right-hand side of theinstrument-that is, on that end opposite to where the other tuningpins II3 are located.

The strings E are preferably in double sets, as indicated in Fig. l, sothat these strings may be used as the melody-strings for the cithern atthe time the accompaniment-strings G are used and are picked with theusual ring, and the said strings E may be picked with amandolin-pickerwhen it is desired to play the strings E and theinstrument as a mandolin only. f

One end J of the body portion of the violin extends beyond the end ofthe body A adjacent to the rear tuning-pins I3, so as to permit theperformer on the Violin to readily pass the violin-bow over the stringsF at the projecting end J of the violin-body, which latter, however, isintegral with the body A and with only the end .I projecting, as abovementioned and for the purpose stated.v

In order to give the desiredsounding effect to the instrument when theseveral sets of strings E, F, and G are played, I provide the body A,between the sounding-board B and the bottom of the body, with alongitudinallylextending sounding-bar K, arranged under the inner endofthe linger-board C. A soundingstrip K is secured to the under side ofthe sounding-board B directly below the front of the uger-board D, anddiagonal soundingstrips Ir2 K3 are secured to the under side of thelsounding-board on opposite sides of the sound-hole B', said stripsextending from the sounding-bar K to the strip K'.

lVhen it is desired to use the instrument as an ordinary cithern, theoperator picks the melody strings E and effects the desired change inthe pitch by lingering over the fiuger-board C and at the same timeplays the accompaniment-strings G in the usual manner. lWhen it isdesired to use the instru- TOO ment only as a mandolin, the operatorpicks the melody-strings E with the usual mandolinpicl, and likewisengers the strings over the nger-board C to effect the desired change inthe pitch.

In playing either the eithern or mandolin strings, as described, theoperator sits in front of the instrument; but when it is desired to playthe violin the operator is seated on the opposite side and applies thebow on the strings F at the projecting end .l of the violinbody and atthe same time effects the desired change in the pitch by properlyfingering the inger-board D.

lVhen it is desired to play the violin with either the eithern or themandolin, two performers are necessary, one for playing the eithern ormandolin, as described, and the other for playing the strings F of theviolin.

Thus it will be seen that the several instruments are combined in asimple and effective manner and can be readily used singly or two at atime, as described, to produce the desired music.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patentl. A stringed musical instrument, comprising abody having a sounding-board over which extends a set of stringsarranged for use either as eithern melody-strings or mandolin-strings, aset of eithern accompanimentstrings, and a set of violin-strings, thelatter reaching overan extension on one end of said body, to form theend of a violin-body, substantially as shown and described.

2. A stringed musical instrument comprising a eithern, violin andmandolin having the same sounding-board, the Jtuning-pins of the violinbeing arranged at one end of the instrument, and the tuning-pins of theeithern and mandolin at the opposite end, one end of the violin portionof the instrument projecting beyond the main body of the instrument, forthe purpose set forth.

3. Astringed musical instrument, comprising a body having asounding-board, spaced iinger-boards on the top of the soundingboard,means for supporting and adjusting a set of strings over one of thefinger-boards, the said set of strings being arranged for use either aseithern melody-strings or mandolinstrings, means for supporting eithernaccompaniment-strings over the sounding-board between saidfinger-boards, and means for supporting and adjusting a set ofviolin-strings over the other finger-board, one end of said body beingextended, to form the end of the violin-body, substantially as shown anddescribed.

4v. A stringed musical instrument, comprising a body having asounding-board, fingerboards on the top of the sounding-board atopposite sides of the instrument means for supporting and adjusting aset of strings over one of the linger-boards, the said strings servingas eithern melody-strings and mandolinstrings, means for supportingeithern accompaniment-strings over the sounding-board between the saidfinger-boards, means for supporting and adjusting a set ofviolin-strings over the other finger-board, the portion of theinstrument carrying the violin-strings projecting at one end beyond themain body of the instrument, a longitudinallyextending sounding-bararranged between the soun dingboard and the bottom of the body andlocated under the inner edge of one of said lingerboards, asounding-strip secured tothe under side of the sounding-board andextending below the inner edge of the other finger-board, and diagonalsounding-strips secured to the under side of the sounding-board onopposite sides of the sound-opening and extending from the sounding-barto the said strip, substantially as set forth.

5. Astringed musical instrument, comprising a eithern violin andmandolin having the same sounding-board, the body portion of the violinbeing integral with the main body of the instrument and having aprojecting end extending beyond the end of the main body of theinstrument to permit of readily passing the bow over the violin-stringsat the said projecting end, substantially as set forth.

6. A stringed musical instrument comprising a body approximately in theshape of an ordinary eithern, the body having a soundingboard providedwith an opening, the said body being also provided with an extension atone end, the said instrument having eithern accompaniment-strings,strings arranged in pairs and serving both as eithern melodystrings andas mandolin-strings, and violinstrings extending over the said extensionat the end of the body of the instrument, substantially as set forth.

7. A stringed musical instrumentprovided with a set of eithernaccompaniment-strings, strings arranged in pairs at one side ofthe setof accompaniment-strings and serving as eithern melody-strings or asmandolin-strings, and violin-strings extending at the opposite side ofthe eithern accompaniment-strings the body of the instrument at saidside havinga projecting end portion over which the violinstrings extend,substantially as described.

FREDRICK S' ROR "Witnesses:

Miei-Linn A. Busen, Aunnos Scnin'rr.

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